Samael dragged himself back to the cemetery.
His condition was deplorable.
Blood covered his clothes.
Parts of his armor were broken, and the metallic smell of blood mixed with the nauseating stench of the Nightmare Creatures he had fought.
The previous battle had made far too much noise.
Far too much.
And in Rime...
Noise meant only one thing.
More creatures.
And more creatures.
As soon as he crossed the cemetery's boundaries, Samael finally couldn't continue.
His body collapsed onto the field of white flowers.
The petals were immediately stained by the black blood of the creatures he had killed.
The scene was strangely beautiful.
And, at the same time...
Disturbing.
White roses slowly stained with black blood.
It was almost a perfect representation of corruption.
Something pure being slowly contaminated.
— Tenebrae...
Samael's voice came out weakly.
—I think I'm checking out.
He closed his eyes dramatically.
Although he was seriously injured...
He was nowhere near death.
Tenebrae looked him up and down.
Ribs covered in deep claw wounds.
One arm pierced by several bites.
One leg marked by a massive scratch.
The crow remained silent for several seconds.
Then slowly revealed his talons.
—I can help you check out.
Samael opened one eye.
He remained silent for a few seconds.
—No need.
He took a deep breath.
—I think I've recovered after those beautiful words of compassion.
Tenebrae narrowed his eyes.
Samael let out a small sigh.
For a few moments, silence filled the cemetery.
Then...
Tenebrae seemed to think of something.
The enormous crow took flight.
His black wings sliced through the air.
Then he landed beside Samael.
Feathers as black as Rime's eternal sky spread across the bloodstained flowers.
—At this rate, we'll never get there.
Tenebrae stared at Samael.
There was suspicion in his eyes.
—Use your Sorcery.
Samael remained silent.
—Or I will force you to learn.
"He still thinks I know Shadow Shaping?"
Samael was genuinely starting to get annoyed.
How many times would he have to repeat himself?
—I don't know Shadow Shaping.
He paused.
—And I don't know Rune Sorcery either.
Tenebrae continued staring at him.
Clearly...
He didn't believe him.
—You really don't know?
—I already told you I don't.
The crow looked away for a moment.
Samael thought for a few seconds.
Then his eyes lit up.
—But you could teach me.
Tenebrae slowly turned his head back.
Samael continued:
—Sorcery would be extremely useful to me.
Especially in the Second Nightmare.
And...
What better teacher could there be than someone who had lived for thousands of years?
Samael smiled.
—So?
Tenebrae remained motionless.
—Why would I do that?
The question was accompanied by utter contempt.
Samael wasn't fazed.
—How about a trade?
The crow narrowed his eyes.
—I teach you something you don't know.
Samael paused.
—And you teach me Sorcery.
Tenebrae remained silent.
—I can explain how the world is now.
The crow's eyes shifted ever so slightly.
Samael noticed.
"Got him."
—Aren't you curious?
Tenebrae didn't answer.
Samael continued smiling.
—You've lived here for thousands of years.
—Don't you want to know what happened to the world while you were trapped in this place?
The crow remained motionless.
For several seconds...
Nothing happened.
Then Tenebrae spread his wings.
Samael raised an eyebrow.
—Hm?
The enormous crow simply took flight.
Disappearing into the horizon without answering.
Samael stared after him.
Silence.
—...Was that a yes or a no?
No answer came.
Samael remained lying among the flowers for some time.
His body still hurt.
Every breath made his ribs ache, and his muscles felt as though they weighed a ton.
But little by little...
The pain began to fade.
Samael opened his eyes.
Then sat up.
"If I'm going to keep fighting in this place, I need to become stronger."
He closed his eyes.
And began concentrating his essence.
At first...
Nothing happened.
Then his consciousness began to sink deeper.
Deeper.
Deeper.
Until his perception seemed to completely abandon his body.
Samael opened his eyes within his own consciousness.
And froze.
Before him...
There was a river.
No.
An ocean.
A colossal river of essence flowed through his existence.
Its waters surged violently, following their own course.
Every current carried tremendous power.
Every bend was capable of crushing anything that dared stand in its way.
Samael was fascinated.
It was the very essence flowing through his body.
And, thanks to the connection between his consciousness and it...
He could feel it.
Every current.
Every change in direction.
Every tiny disturbance.
Even the pressure in the deepest regions of that river.
"So this is it..."
He tried to deepen his perception even further.
And succeeded.
But...
His consciousness began to sink.
The sensation was strange.
As if he were actually diving into the river.
The pressure increased as he descended.
His mind began to compress.
It was difficult to think.
Difficult to breathe.
Difficult even to remember where he was.
Samael tried to resist.
But the more he concentrated his perception...
The deeper he sank.
The essence seemed to want to drag him along.
As if that river were not merely energy.
As if it possessed a will of its own.
A force capable of swallowing his consciousness.
"This..."
"Is dangerous."
Samael tried to retreat.
For a moment...
He couldn't.
The pressure increased.
His consciousness began to dissolve in the depths of that river.
Then...
Samael broke his concentration.
—HUFF... HUFF...
He opened his eyes abruptly.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
Sweat trickled down his face.
He brought a hand to his head.
—That was almost...
Samael remained seated for several seconds, trying to catch his breath.
He had no idea how long he had remained in that state.
But he knew one thing.
"I almost drowned in my own senses."
He looked at his hands.
His perception still felt different.
Sharper.
Deeper.
As if, for a few brief moments, he had managed to touch something he hadn't even known existed.
Then...
Samael sensed a presence.
He slowly raised his gaze.
Before him...
The enormous crow stood atop one of the cemetery walls.
Tenebrae watched him in absolute silence.
His eyes remained fixed on Samael.